In the first confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s new Cabinet on Tuesday, Pete Hegseth marketed himself as a “change agent” to lead the Defense Department, while Democrats criticized him as unsuited for any military leadership position, much less the top one.
Hegseth stated in his introductory speech that if he were confirmed as defense secretary, his objectives would be to rebuild our military, restore the warrior mentality, and reestablish deterrence.
Politics shouldn’t be involved in military affairs, unlike the current administration. Hegseth declared, “We are American warriors, not Republicans or Democrats.” Our expectations will be high, and they will be equal—which is a very different phrase than equitable.
The heated meeting, which was repeatedly disrupted by protesters less than an hour after it started, set the tone for the dozen hearings that are also planned this week as senators scramble to assist Trump in completing his government before his inauguration on Monday.
The incoming chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said that Hegseth is an unusual candidate, but compared him to Trump and suggested that might be what makes him a great option.
According to Wicker, the Pentagon needs a disruptor who will quickly put an end to divisive distractions like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
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Trump’s new national security advisor, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., introduced Hegseth during the hearing and commended his military background, saying he would be the first Pentagon chief to have served as a junior office on the front lines of battle.
Hegseth, who was appointed to head the enormous Defense Department, has denied accusations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement while he was in charge of a veterans advocacy group. He has been under fire for his previous resistance to allowing openly gay individuals and women to serve in combat, which he has now retracted.
Hegseth rejected Wicker’s charges, calling them a “coordinated smear campaign” in the “left-wing media.”
Others are worried that Hegseth lacks the managerial skills necessary to run the vast military bureaucracy, which has a budget of over $800 billion and employs over 2.1 million people.
Trump has defended Hegseth in the face of the criticism, declaring that he has his complete support. Republican senators have been under pressure from Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill and in outside conservative organizations to back the nominee.
The fact that Hegseth did not meet with the majority of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Democrats suggests that he is more concerned with gaining support from Republicans than gaining substantial bipartisan support. In the Senate, which is evenly divided, he cannot afford to lose a lot of GOP votes.
Hegseth doesn’t seem to have won over Democrats.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the panel’s top Democrat, stated that Hegseth’s prior transgressions would preclude any service member from serving in a leadership role in the military, much less the top position at the Pentagon.
Despite having voted for every defense secretary nominee before him, including during Trump’s first term, the longstanding member and former chairman of the Armed Services Committee said he was unable to back Hegseth.
Reed remarked, “Unfortunately, you lack the competence, poise, and character necessary to serve as secretary of defense.”
The support of Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a sexual assault survivor and military veteran who has been dubious of Hegseth’s candidacy, will be crucial on the Armed Services Committee.
Outside the panel, special attention is also paid to two Senate Republican women who are frequently viewed as moderates: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Concerns have been raised by senators from both parties regarding a sexual assault accusation from 2017. Before forcing himself on her following a political gathering in Monterey, California, Hegseth allegedly stole her phone and prevented her from leaving his hotel room, according to a female employee of a Republican women’s organization. Hegseth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount after she told the police about the incident.
Hegseth has stated that the relationship was consensual, and his attorney stated that he firmly believed he was the victim of innocent collateral damage and blackmail in a falsehood that the Complainant was clinging to in order to preserve her marriage.
Three people with firsthand knowledge of the report’s contents claim that the FBI background check on Hegseth, which was given to the chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee late last week, omits interviews with the lady and Hegseth’s ex-wives.
In addition, Hegseth’s mother accused him of texting women after his second divorce, but she later denied the claims, referring to her son as a “changed man,” and she now backs his nomination.